Same Love: Music Video

I've been a fan of Macklemore since I first heard "Thrift Shop" last November, but when I heard "Same Love," I realized his true talent as a rapper. The song argues for marriage equality eloquently, which has been such a taboo topic in pop culture for a long time and is only just now being discussed somewhat openly. The music video adds beauty to an already powerful message, and has already gone far in the fight for gay rights both politically and socially. Hopefully the stir over the song and video is only just beginning.
The video, directed by Ryan Lewis and Jon Jon Augustavo, incorporates a myriad of rhetorical devices, ranging from a chronological arrangement with a full-circle ending to several allusions to pop culture and American history. The full circle ending, which uses the setting of a hospital and the image of people holding hands as (beginning) a baby is born and (end) a beloved husband passes away, makes the audience connect the beautiful moments and realize that the love (portrayed by the similarity of holding hands) really is the " same" no matter the couple, and that every human being alive should be allowed the privledge of being with their beloved in the hospital. The audience might then start thinking about the fact that this basic right is denied to gay couples in states where they are incapable of marriage, and thus the audience wouldst pathetic towards couples in this situation and therefore  feel angry about the laws in place.
Another important rhetorical device used in the video, and several other music videos as well, is the cultural references made to connect with the audience and make them reflect on their own lives. Macklemore references YouTube and Little League for their roles in promoting intolerance to gays, and to make his audience think about if they have ever said or done something derogatory in an Internet comment or the like. By incorporating aspects of cultural memory, Macklemore might be stopping (even just a few) of his listeners from writing "that's gay" the next time they want to insult someone or something. Furthermore, the song and video reference the American Civil Rights Movement, by incorporating lyrics such as "the same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins/ It's human rights for everybody, there is no difference!" This makes an extremely effective argument, as there are few Americans today who would argue that blacks deserve less rights or that Martin Luther King Jr was a bad influence on American history. Thus, the audience would realize that one day when Americans look back at the country's current state of intolerance, it will seem like a giant, stupid mistake. To achieve equality though, the video reminds the audience that they need to take a stand in the same way Rosa Parks did half a century ago. And after watching this powerful video, the audience might feel compelled to do that. Or at least approve Ref 74, the "place to start" that the video very simply asks in the last seconds of the video. While "Same Love" will by no means single-handedly gain equal rights for the LBGT community, it has effectively brought the issue to the rap and pop culture community, where most of the intolerance is seeded most deeply, and makes an extremely compelling argument that a) gays deserve rights and b) the audience should support the effort to give gays these rights.

IRB: Freakonomics

Freakonomics  by Steven D. Levitt takes a fresh perspective on the modern world's crime, sports, and parenting, in what feels similar to my first marking period's IRB, Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. In fact, Malcolm Gladwell's review is on the cover of the book, demonstrating the similarities in writing style, primary audience, and topic to Gladwell's works. In the first chapter of Freakonomics, Levitt discusses incentives, particularly in the realm of "cheating teachers."

The primary rhetorical device is the use of statistics to appeal to the audience's sense of logic. For example, on page 22 Levitt uses a chart to demonstrates the drop in crime as society has advanced. To demonstrate crime, he uses the statistics for average number of homicides per 1000 people in several European countries for each century, because as he notes, "[homicide] is both the most reliably measured crime and the best barometer of a society's overall crime rate." This effectively demonstrates his claims in a credible, irrefutable manner. Using statistics is a way of saying to the audience "this is why I am correct in my statement. There is no arguing these facts." In this sense, it was a very effective choice to use these statistics early on in the book, as it establishes Levitt's credibility as a thinker and a writer, so the audience is more likely to agree with his other findings later on.

Baby Kimye

In this week's TOW, Hadley Freeman wrote a biting "letter" to "Kimye," aka Kanye West's and Kim Kardashian's future baby, in which she gave advice for growing up in such a materialistic and egomaniacal world. Interestingly enough, Freeman writes for The Guardian, a British newspaper, when  Kim and Kanye are primarily American "royalty." In fact, her outsider's perspective may have been the driving factor in shaping the piece, as it enabled her to criticize the lifestyles of Hollywood celebrities today and lend the work the tone of absolute disgust. In a world where TMZ and In Touch Weekly devote so much time and energy gossiping over potential names and outfits for the baby-to-be, Freeman manages to question why the world cares by mocking the genre of "trashy" tabloids thematically.

Her article is set up as an open letter to the future baby, as if the baby can read it within Kim's womb to prepare for its entrance into the world of fame and fortune. This format is explained very clearly by Freeman, who writes, "The open letter is a crucial part of the British journalist's arsenal, only deployed in the most arrogant of tones and for the most important of issues, such as when a journalist does not like a director's recent filmor when the journalist is concerned about Kate Middleton's diet. So feel the validation here, Baby Kimye." She continues each paragraph by discussing the baby's tabloid-dubbed name and its reflection of the parents' selfishness, the low-class drama that follows around Kanye and the Kardashian klan, and her expectations for the birth of the baby to be televised on E! for the sake of entertainment. Moreover, each observation of the family is followed by lines of praise towards the baby and its family, although this praise is very clearly ironic and meant to show the faults of others for worshipping these "talentless" people. 

Freeman ends her letter by writing, "Kimye, you are no mere baby. You are the climactic epitome of all that US culture has been headed towards for the past 20 years, combining as you do reality TV, musical talent, fame with no talent, famous for being famous, celebrity, the debasing of hip-hop, a bottomless need for attention, sex tapes, hip-hop, bad fashion, Twitter, Instagram, tmz.com, the E! channel and OJ Simpson. You are America's Golden Child, Kimye. We bow before you." I sincerely think there are no more insulting words towards the vanity of Hollywood's stars and their worshipping public, and the use of words such as "culture" and "America's Golden Child" only highlight the disappointment Freeman has in the modern world. 

I occasionally enjoy watching KUWtK, as I find it entertaining to watch the mayhem of such a superficial lifestyle, but after reading this I realize that even watching the show as a joke is feeding the public image and hype over these people, and I have made a resolution to stop caring about this poor baby, except to recognize the tragedy of having to grow up with these selfish people as parents. For that, I think that this "letter" was very effective in accomplishing its purpose. 

Drones beat the alternative: USA Today

I've been hearing about drones on the news a lot lately, and today when I asked my dad about them, he told me they were essentially remote controlled aerial vehicle that could target and kill Al-Qaida terrorists. Intrigued, I decided to do this week's TOW on an article explaining why drones should be utilized by the American military. Written by the editorial board of USA Today, this article makes the claim, "But for all the controversy, the drone attacks have this going for them: They are effective, and the other options are worse."

This article utilized logos to make its point, by pointing out the flaws in the opposing side's argument (They Say/I Say) and making its own argument that drones are the best way to prevent as much death of "collateral" citizens as possible. The article actually begins by pointing out common concerns with drones, but proceeds to demonstrate that these risks are worth it. By using the technique of "They Say/I Say," the article effectively establishes credibility by proving that the authors have knowledge of both sides and are making their claim very deliberately. It also helps demonstrate why readers shouldn't side with the opposition, or that they should change their mind if they already are "anti-drone."

The article also qualifies its argument by stating that the White House should be more open about the "gray area" surrounding drones, which again demonstrates the authors' credibility in their claim that "drones should keep flying." They also implied that the secrecy surrounding the deaths of three US citizens via drones was haunting, but the article did not go far into this topic, as it might contradict the argument being made.

Before reading this article, I was concerned with the use of drones because I feared that they might be used on US citizens, especially once other countries had the technology to build their own drones. I also was concerned with the ethics of killing people in this manner, but after reading this article I realized that drones are in fact one of the most ethical methods of assassinating terrorists leaders, because by this article's figures, fewer civilians are killed in the process. While I am still concerned with their use in killing American citizens (I haven't decided my opinion on killing American Al-Qaida leaders), this article effectively made me reconsider my views and want to look further into the topic of military drones.

Superbowl Advertisement: Brave Audi

In honor of Super Bowl Sunday, I decided to make my TOW about a powerful advertisement for Audi, in which a teenage boy takes the car to prom and in doing so gains the confidence to kiss the girl of his dreams. The Super Bowl is known for its advertisements, which in some cases attract more viewers than the actual game itself. As a result of this notoriety, several Super Bowl ads rely more on being entertaining and interesting than actually informative, so as to increase awareness about their product, rather than relying mainly on logos to sway an audience.

The advertisement made the argument that the audience should purchase an Audi, based on the evidence that the boy shown gained enormous confidence simply by driving one. This was demonstrated by the progression of the boy from awkwardly having his mother pin his boutonniere on in a dark house (the lighting reflected the somber mood), to riding away from prom with a black eye (from the girl's Prom King boyfriend) and screaming at the top of his lungs, apparently full of excitement from living life to its fullest. The assumption is that the audience should feel confident when driving a car, which fits the luxury type cars that Audi sells. Furthermore, the target audience of this commercial is primarily teenagers who are searching for their first car (since they can relate to the boy shown) and their parents, since the dad's "cool" gesture to his son was a message to other parents about a potential way to connect with their teens.

The details are what made this advertisement special. The boy starts out in a dark house, with his younger sister making comments about his single status that only further emphasize how "uncool" he is.  As he sits down in the Audi, the bright lights illuminate the logo, and from that point onward the commercial is a blaze of flashing lights, pump-up music, and confident smiles. The boy parks in the Principal's parking lot (an example of the "carpe diem" attitude inspired by the Audi,) gets noticed by the students who have supposedly ignored him until that moment, and speeds along an empty, lit bridge  to complete the picture of pure exhilaration.  The effect of these details was to make the audience feel the emotion of the boy as if they were him, although I'm not sure the advertisement was entirely effective.

Perhaps it is because I live in a society that has become so immune to the messages of advertisements, but I feel no real desire to go out and buy an Audi simply because some actor rode in one and had "the time of his life." To be effective, I would need statistics about other features of the car, such as its price, fuel efficiency, and durability. In a sense, I am "begging the question" about the major premise of this advertisement. However, if the point of the ad was for me to remember the commercial and the car brand, then clearly it was effective, as I chose this commercial out of several of the night to write about.

http://www.hulu.com/adzone/450448?playlist_id=1031&asset_scope=all

Revised: Humans Aren't the Only Victims of War

There's something about the death of a dog that just strikes a chord with nearly everyone. Perhaps it has something to do with the dog's innocence and unyielding loyalty, but whatever it is, I seem to linger on images like this every single time. While iwastesomuchtime.com (I know, but it's addicting) typically displays funny internet memes, statuses, and comics, sometimes a meaningful image like this appears and makes me stop for a minute. Sometimes that's all rhetors really want from their audience: a moment of thought and appreciation towards the topic displayed.

Dogs have been used in warfare since the time of the Ancient Egyptians, and have been a valuable part of the military since. They are commonly used for scout duty, to warn of enemy attacks, find the injured, and to carry supplies and messages during combat. In fact, some sources estimate that each military dog saves about 150 lives in combat. And yet, just like the thousands of other soldiers fighting for our freedom and security in a far off nation, we as Americans tend to forget their sacrifice, and need to be reminded of it every so often.

Just like in O'Brien's How To Tell A True War Story, I think the death of animals is used to draw emotion from the audience, especially because the death of soldiers unfortunately faces apathy from the general public in today's world. The composition of this photo draws the audience down the soldier's arm to the sweet dog below, then pulls our attention to the memorial that the subjects are looking at as well. Here we see a memorial for 25 dogs that have given their lives, perhaps unknowingly so, for the noble pursuit of freedom. The man and dog staring at the memorial are paying their respects, (even if the dog doesn't understand the significance of the memorial) and the man is taking a moment to show his best friend his love. All this emotion makes the audience feel emotionally connected to the dog pictured and the other dogs that have given their lives, because the death of something so pure can be felt by all. This makes the audience aware and grateful for the jobs of dogs in the military that perform jobs humans are incapable of doing.

This image is meant to catch the audience attention and maintain it long enough for them to appreciate the value of dogs in the military and all that they do as man's loyal best friend. The image captures the audience's attention, raises awareness about the sacrifice of others, and creates an emotional bond strong enough that the image remains in the audience's head long after they have scrolled past.

Nickel and Dimed Part 2: Evaluation

Barbara Ehrenreich's novel was one of the most eye-opening things I've ever read. After traveling to 3 different parts of America and working "unskilled" jobs for minimum wage or less, Barbara wrote her experiences down so that middle and upper class Americans could see the people we have been blind to for so long. In her Evaluation chapter, Ehrenreich writes of her "success" at preforming the jobs (in fact, this "success" was intentional mediocracy in order to preserve her strength during never-ending shifts on her feet) and ultimate failure at keeping herself housed and fed in each of the situations.

Since Ehrenreich no longer is using her personal experience to draw emotion from her audience, in her evaluation she uses logic and statistics to back her argument instead. She argues that the pricing of housing is too high because of "the market, stupid. When the rich and poor compete for housing on the open market, the poor don't stand a chance" (199). To validate her argument, Ehrenreich incorporates statistic after statistic, based on her own personal calculations and those of governmental evaluations of the low-wage working class, throughout her novel.

Another effective rhetorical device was Ehrenreich's incorporation of an analogy between low-wage workers and rats to demonstrate the damage to self-esteem that unskilled labor can cause. Barbara writes, "there is ample evidence that animals - rats and monkeys, for example - that are forced into a subordinate status within their social systems adapt their brain chemistry accordingly, becoming 'depressed' in humanlike ways....[humans] depend for our self-image on the humans immediately around us - to the point of altering our perceptions of the world so as to fit in with theirs" (211). This analogy provides further understanding for the audience, who can easily recall times when they've made, say, their dog feel ashamed by telling him he has been bad, and then relate this experience to their knowledge of humans. This draws sympathy from the audience, and effectively helps open their eyes to the plights of the poor, and perhaps even donate their time and energy to helping fix the problems described in the novel.

Overall, Ehrenreich's Evaluation chapter effectively helped draw conclusion to her novel and give her readers the "so what?" they needed.